Bachelor Party from Hell
by xHPFan31x
Summary: Sort of sequel to A Little Problem. Stefan and Damon go out for Damon's bachelor party. But, it's the anniversary of what Damon likes to call, "The Incident". Strange things happen on the anniversary of a curse. The brothers will learn that the hard way.
1. Here We Go Again

**AN: Here's the sort of sequel! Enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't have the mental capacity to come up with these things. No, all of this belongs to LJ Smith. Of course, doodlechick12 gave me the wonderful idea! Thank you!**

**Damon POV:**

Damon followed Stefan through the forest, not paying attention to where his feet were carrying him. He was lost in thought. _One week. Only one more week of sweet freedom._ _In_ _exactly one week, I'll be married. _Damon sighed. Not only was he going to be married, he was going to be married to the prettiest, most talented, most amazing woman he'd ever met in his entire existence. May. May Capuletta was going to be his wife. Just one more week.

He smiled. Her name sounded so much like Capulet. She was like his own personal Juliet, but without the feuding families, the death, or the tragedy. She was a witch, and a damn good one. That was just the way he liked it. She was his equal in Power. Only one week. And, in two weeks, he would turn her. He would make her his Princess of Darkness.

Damon chuckled to himself. Only a year ago, he'd had the same dream for himself and Elena Gilbert, Stefan's wife. How that had changed. He now knew that he and Elena were not meant to be. It was too bad, really, because he enjoyed her company. But, he enjoyed May's company more. Still, he got to hang with Elena because she was his sister-in-law.

"Race ya!" Stefan shouted, bringing Damon back to reality. Stefan had decided that he needed a bachelor party. One week _before_ the wedding. It was silly, though, because Damon didn't really have any friends that were guys. Only Stefan. So, here he was, hunting with his younger brother, the pinnacle of pathetic-ness. Damon had already had his fill in a club in the city. They'd gone far tonight, all the way across Italy. Stefan had decided on a specific forest. Damon didn't know why, but he didn't really understand most of what his little brother did.

"Okay, go for it." Damon decided he'd let his brother have his fun. He gave Stefan a 10 second head start before running after him. He was a black blur as he passed Stefan, laughing loudly.

"What are you going to do now, little brother?" Damon laughed, running just fast enough to stay an inch in front of Stefan. He was taunting him.

"Hey, that's cheap! I can't use Power like that!"

"Well, you would be able to use Power if you ate right." Damon answered him. Really, was it that hard to feed off of pretty girls? No. No, it wasn't.

"You're so immature, Damon!"

"_I'm_ immature? Excuse me, Mr. 'Race ya!'"

"Shut up…" Damon only laughed harder as they raced into the forest. Something was nagging at him, though.

Before he'd left, May had given him a warning.

_Earlier that evening:_

_ Damon grabbed his jacket and turned to find his boots. However, instead of the boots, he found his fiancé. May looked at him seriously._

_ "What? Is there something on my face?" Damon asked, grinning._

_ "Damon, do you know what day it is?" She asked, frowning at him. Damon panicked. What day was it? Did he forget an anniversary? Oh, no. Was it her birthday? No, it was only January. So, what was he missing._

_ "Um, no, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me…"_

_ "Damon, it's exactly one year from the day we met in that alley." Oh no! So, it _was_ the anniversary!_

_ "Er, happy anniversary, baby?" It came out as more of a question._

_ "No! Not the anniversary! The day I cursed you, you idiot! Don't you get it?" Damon was mystified. Why did it matter that it was the anniversary of "The Incident". He still couldn't think of what had actually happened._

_ "No, I don't get it? Why are you bringing it up?" Damon was getting annoyed. She knew that he didn't like to talk about this, yet she brought it up anyway._

_ "Damon, sometimes strange things happen on days like this. Just promise me you'll be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen. Take this, please." She held out a backpack. Damon felt relieved. Oh, so she was just worried about him. That was kind of nice in an odd sort of way. Usually, it was the other way around as she was still sort of human._

_ "Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful. Nothing's going to happen, May. Stop being such a worry-wart." And, with that, he took the backpack, located his boots, pecked May on the lips, and left the house._

Damon couldn't get the warning out of his mind. He checked his watch. It was 11 o'clock. This was about the time he'd left the bar, right? See, nothing was going to go wrong. He mentally berated himself for worrying over nothing. He watched Stefan hunt.

"Hurry up, Stefan! I'm not going to wait all day while you attempt to catch bunnies." To Damon's dismay, Stefan slowed down. He looked like an idiot, jogging in slow motion. Damon took advantage of this and gave his brother a shove. Stefan fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

"Stop being an idiot." He gave Stefan his hand, helping him up. What Damon failed to notice, however, was the time. It was now 11:04 PM. This was the exact time that May had cursed him one year ago. As Stefan grabbed his hand, there was a flash of light and Damon felt like throwing up. It was, unfortunately, a familiar feeling. He looked over at Stefan. He'd crumpled back to the ground, moaning. As Damon slid down a tree trunk and onto the ground, there was only one thing running through his mind. _Oh, crap!_


	2. Bachelor Party from Hell

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! Here's chapter two!**

**Damon POV:**

Damon groaned. He wondered what he was doing, lying on the forest floor. Then, it all came rushing back. _Crap! Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! I should've listened to May!_ Damon had no clue what to do. He didn't even know what had happened yet. He hadn't even looked. The truth was, he was afraid to look. What was he going to find when he opened his eyes? Maybe he'd grown two heads or something!

Sighing dramatically, Damon cracked an eye open. It was dark. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust. The first thing he saw was a small boy lying next to him. _Oh hell, I guess I know what happened now…_ Frowning, he sat up and inspected himself. Sure enough, he was small. And, to top that all off, he was naked in the middle of the woods. _Great! Now what?!_ Then, he remembered the backpack. It was lying on the ground near his head. He pulled it closer to him, not wanting to leave his warm-ish shirt. Unzipping it, Damon gasped. May was brilliant! She'd packed him little kid clothes! This shouldn't have made him happy, but compared to the alternative, it was wonderful!

He took out a black shirt, a pair of jeans, and some shoes. There was even a coat! He looked over at Stefan. He seemed to be smaller than Damon was. But, he would have to deal. Damon took out another shirt, this one grey, and another pair of jeans and threw them at his brother.

"Unnngh…" Stefan groaned. Damon just stared at him. It brought back creepy memories, seeing his brother like this. It reminded him of all the things he'd done wrong. Of course, this must have been the point. Make Damon feel terrible. Yes, Damon Salvatore, laughing stock of the universe!

"Wha's goin' on?" Stefan asked, attempting to sit up, but falling back onto the ground.

"Er, take a look, bro." Damon replied. He watched as Stefan looked down at himself, then at Damon, then back at himself. It was a bit funny, watching Stefan's head jerk back and forth. Eventually, he stopped and stared at Damon as if he were Satan himself.

"What _day_ is it, Damon?"

"I don't know. You think I pay attention to dates? Put on some clothes!" Damon yelled. He was pretty angry now. He knew it was his fault and he knew that Stefan knew that it was his fault. Stefan didn't have to rub it in, though. He didn't have to go out of his way to make Damon feel like crap. He could do that himself. In fact, he could do it easily.

"Damon! Didn't May ever tell you that-"

"Yes, May warned me before I came over to your house. I didn't think it would actually happen!" Damon cut him off. It was so stupid. It wasn't his fault. Okay, so maybe it was a little bit his fault. What were they going to do? They were stuck in the middle of a forest halfway across the country. Not only that, but they were human _and_ small. It was not the ideal situation. Nor was it the expected situation.

He turned away when Stefan began to change. First of all, he was angry and needed to look at something other than his brother. Plus, he really didn't want to look at his brother naked. It was just gross. Sure, Damon didn't care if people saw _him_ naked, but that was because he was good looking. Stefan, on the other hand, hadn't inherited all of Damon's awesome genes.

"You can turn around now." Stefan told him when he was finished. Damon looked him over. The clothes fit well enough, Damon didn't like to admit it, but he and Stefan had always been close in height. Apparently, along with his "awesome genes", Damon had inherited the short genes.

"Now what? What do we do? How do we get out of here?" Stefan was beginning to panic. Tears were welling up in his little eyes. Damon sensed a disaster and worked hard to prevent it.

"Now," he said, "We call May." He dug into the pocket of his pants, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. It was weird because the situation was totally different, yet he was doing the same thing. It brought him back to the "monster under the bed" experience. Oh, how he had hated that night. He found the phone and pressed speed dial 1. That was May. Damon had set her as #1 because he had decided it was the easiest to press. She had called him lazy, but he didn't mind. Labels were labels.

The phone rang and rang. Damon was losing hope. He knew May didn't always have her phone on her. If she didn't pick up, he'd be forced to call Elena. That would be embarrassing. Then he would have to tell her about Stefan. The whole thing would be a disaster. Then, a miracle happened, May picked up.

"Damon? How's the party?" May answered. He could practically hear her smiling.

"Bachelor party from hell." He replied. He heard May gasp. He knew that she knew that he knew that he'd messed up big time. _Wow, what a convoluted sentence. My brain is fried._

"Damon! I told you to be careful! What happened? Tell me everything. Where are you?" Damon sighed. That was the question he'd been hoping to avoid. He didn't want her to know exactly how stupid he was. But, he needed her help. How the hell was he supposed to make it home? Especially with Stefan, who couldn't be older than two.

"Well, I was running with Stefan in the woods and I checked my watch. It was about the time I'd left that bar a year ago, so I figured I'd be okay. Then, I stopped being careful. When I pushed Stefan down, I had to help him up. But, when I grabbed his hand, there was a flash and then I felt like crap. I woke up small."

"Oh my gosh, Damon! You were touching Stefan when it happened? Does that mean…?"

"Yeah. I messed up, May," Damon was starting to cry. He wanted to stop, but he knew he couldn't. He was in a bad situation. He was far from home and without food or water. He was small and lonely, with Stefan as his only company. Could there be a worse situation?

"Hey, hey. Calm down, Damon. You have to get a handle on your emotions. Don't break down, okay? Now, where are you? I can come get you." Damon only cried harder. He knew she couldn't come get them. They were out in the middle of who-knows-where and it was _very_ far away from home.

"Well, hic, we're really far away. I don't, hic, know!" Damon sobbed. He could feel Stefan looking at him, but he didn't care. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

"Okay, it's okay, Damon. You're far away. But, there's an easy fix to this. Elena is a vampire. She can follow your scent and I can follow Elena. Then, we can fix you both." At this, Damon relaxed a little. "You just need to find your way out of the forest. Get to the nearest edge, okay? Can you do that for me?" May finished. Damon nodded before realizing she couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I can try. What about Stefan? He's smaller than me!"

"How much smaller?"

"I don't know. He's, like, two. Oh no! That means I'm five! I don't want to be five, May! I'm getting married in a week!"

"Don't worry. We'll have you fixed by then. For now, work on getting to the edge of the trees. I don't care which edge, just an edge. I have to be able to drive there."

"Okay," Damon sniffled a little before continuing, "I'll do my best. I love you!"

"You too, Damon. See you as soon as I can." She hung up. Damon suddenly felt hopeless. The whole thing was ridiculous. How was he supposed to walk with Stefan, a toddling two-year-old, to the edge of the forest? How many miles would that be? Still, he was older, so that meant he was the leader.

"Okay, Stefan. May said to get to the edge of the forest. We'll have to walk because, well face it, we don't have any other options. We'll take turns carrying the backpack. Got it?"

Stefan nodded. Damon wiped his face on his shirt before heading in a random direction.

"Wait, don't you think we should go north?" Stefan asked.

"What? Why would we go north?"

"I don't know, aren't you always supposed to go north?"

"No! You go whatever way you want, but I'm going this way!"

"No! We should go north!"

"No! We should go this way!"

"We're going north!"

"We're going this way!"

"North!"

"This way!"

"North!" Stefan shouted, "Ow! Damon!" Damon had punched Stefan in the arm. He wanted to go in _his_ direction. Who cares if they went stupid north? He gave Stefan an ultimatum.

"Well, _I'm _going this way. You can go _north_, but when you get eaten by a bear, nobody's going to save you." He saw Stefan stiffen and shake his head before heading in the direction Damon had chosen. _Score one for Damon!_


	3. You're Not Supposed to Talk to Strangers

**AN: Thanks so much (as usual) for the reviews! Sorry I haven't been updating. I had the worst week ever in school. I'm going on spring break tomorrow so I won't be posting for a little bit. But, here's your cuteness fix for the week!**

**Damon POV:**

Damon trudged along, Stefan a few paces behind him. They had been hiking for what seemed like hours. Damon checked his watch. Nope. It had only been 30 minutes. He groaned and continued walking. This had been the routine since they'd started. Being small, the two boys had quickly grown tired. The fact that Stefan was still moving was a miracle. He toddled along on his short little legs. Damon guessed it was hard to walk when you were two. But, he wasn't doing too well, either. Damon wanted nothing more than to sit down and fall asleep, but he knew that he had to get out. Stefan, however, seemed to be opting for option one.

"Stef, you okay?" Damon asked his brother. Stefan looked like he was going to fall asleep standing up.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, I'm good." Stefan replied.

"You don't look so good. Here, let's take a break." Damon sat down where he stood and Stefan eagerly did the same. He watched his little brother crawl over to him.

"So, what do we do now?" Stefan asked, worried (as per usual). Damon shrugged. Now that he was sitting, he was getting sleepier and sleepier. It was nighttime, so he supposed it was acceptable.

"Damon! Don't fall asleep! We have to get out of here!" Stefan shouted. Damon didn't care. He was exhausted. Like before, becoming small had made him tired. He heard Stefan sigh. So, he let his eyes close. He felt his brother cuddle close to him. But, he didn't have time to protest. Within seconds, Damon was asleep.

*****

The first thing Damon noticed when he woke up was that it was light. He could see it through his eyelids. _No! I slept in! May's gonna kill me!_ He opened his eyes. Oh, wait. May wasn't going to kill him. He was in the woods with Stefan. But, Stefan would probably murder him for letting both of them fall asleep. The plan had been to continue until they found the edge of the forest. Looks like that plan had failed.

He stood up, careful not to jostle Stefan, and looked around. Sunlight fell in patches in the small clearing they had found. But, it was cold outside. Trees enveloped the clearing. They were pine trees. Damon began to panic. The pine trees brought back bad memories. Memories of Shinichi and his demon trees. He felt claustrophobic. The trees were pressing in on all sides. _No! Wait! I'm not there. I'm here in the woods with no demon trees. Shinichi met his end. I'm okay._ He took several deep breaths. Then, he heard it.

"Yeah, I know! He's so annoying!" a voice said.

"Well, it's not my fault that you have a little brother. Blame your parents!" another voice responded. Damon went into panic mode. There were people coming! He shook Stefan hard.

"Stefan!" He hissed. "Stefan!" Finally, after much poking and prodding, his brother opened his eyes. Damon grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"There're people coming! We have to leave! Now!" Damon told his brother. Stefan looked at him with wide eyes.

"Why? What's going on, Damon?"

"Nothing, there's just some hikers. We need to leave." They started to move, but it was too late. Just as the boys started to run, two girls in their late teens broke through the trees in the clearing. Damon stopped and tried to blend into the background. Stefan froze like a deer in headlights.

Damon was standing at the edge of the clearing. He held his breath, hoping the two girls would be too distracted to notice them. They were quite a bit shorter than the average teenager. Maybe the girls wouldn't be looking low. Stefan, however, was in the center. Right in the middle of the clearing. Damon hoped he wouldn't be seen.

But, of course, that would mean that things would have to go Damon's way. The universe obviously couldn't let that happen, now could it? No. The two girls froze mid-sentence and stared straight at Stefan. He looked like he was about to cry. Damon cursed silently. Then, of course, Stefan looked at Damon, silently asking him what to do. This made the girls turn their heads towards him.

"Oh. My. God. Jamie, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" One of the girls asked. She was a pretty blonde. Damon thought he might've fed from her if he were himself. But, he wasn't. Now, he just needed her to leave. Like, _right now_.

"Yeah, I think so…" She knelt down by Stefan. "Hey, sweetie, what's your name?" Stefan simply blinked twice and stared at her. He looked over at Damon. Sighing, he nodded to his brother. As much as he hated to admit it, they needed help. They weren't going to make it to the edge of the woods without help.

"Um, my name's Stefan." Stefan told the girl.

"That's a really cool name. My name is Jamie and that's Becca." The girl, Jamie, told him. She spoke to Stefan as if he were really a little kid. Stefan smiled a little, before looking at Damon and frowning again.

The other girl, Becca, made her way over to where Damon was standing. He was incredibly nervous all of the sudden. In fact, he was shaking like a leaf. He wanted May to come get him. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be normal…_again_. The sad thing was, this had all happened before.

"And what's your name, cutie?" Damon took a step back. This girl was irritating him. Seriously, she'd called him _cutie_! Stefan looked like he was smothering a giggle. Damon glared at him. Then, Becca (or whatever the hell her name was) called his attention back to her.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I want to help." She said earnestly. Damon groaned internally. _Okay, this is it. Just tell her. It's the only way you're going to get out of here. But didn't everyone always say that you're not supposed to talk to strangers! Does this even count? Okay, just do it. I can do it._

"My n-name is Damon…" He stuttered. He was panicking. He'd never felt so…so vulnerable; not even when Elena had pulled a malach from his back. That had been bad, really bad. But, here he was, accepting help from two strangers because it was the only way.

"Where's your mommy, Damon?" "Becca" asked him. He didn't really know what to say. He didn't have a "mommy". It was another déjà vu moment. He remembered Katie from the restaurant. Cringing, he shook his head.

"She's gone." Stefan answered for him. _Good thing, too. I was just going to stand there like an idiot._

"Gone? Where did she go and when did she leave?" Jamie asked Stefan.

"She's gone gone. Like, up in the sky. We ran away." Damon improvised, walking towards Stefan. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He was simply winging it.

"Ran away from where?" The girls looked mystified. Here, they had two small boys with a dead mother who had run away from somewhere. They were probably thinking: _Who _were_ these kids? _Damon just looked at them. He didn't care what they thought. _Just take us to the edge of the forest already!_

"Somewhere..." Stefan put in helpfully. Okay, so now Stefan and Damon were supposed to be runaway orphans. Could this story get any more confusing? Or unbelievable?

"Okay, um, how about you guys come with us? We'll get you out of here. Does that sound like a plan?" Jamie asked. Damon bit his lip. This was his last chance to back out. If he accepted their offer, he'd be stuck in whatever situation they were going to put him in. He looked over at Stefan. His brother looked hopeful. Sighing, Damon nodded at the girls. He knew he wasn't going to be able to make it all the way, much less Stefan.

"Alrighty, then. I'll take the backpack and…you." Becca giggled, pointing at Stefan. Jamie came over and took Damon's hand. Then, the strange band moved into the trees.

**AN: Do you like it? Tell me! Review!**

**On another note, what do you think of the new book?! Awesome, right?**


	4. Camping and Stefan's Breakdown

**AN: So sorry about the long wait! When I got back from vacation, my teachers decided to give me tons of homework. I didn't get much time to write. You see, I like to stay one chapter ahead. Technically, I already had chapter 4 written, but I wanted to write chapter 5 before I published this. Anyway, enough of my excuses. Here's chapter 4! Thank you for being patient.**

**Damon POV:**

They moved through the forest much faster now. Stefan and Damon had grown weary after about fifteen minutes of walking. So, the girls had opted to carry them. Damon didn't like being carried. Stefan, evidently, didn't mind it. He was resting his head on Becca's shoulder. Damon smirked at his brother. How weak he was. He, Damon, was much stronger. Though he was being carried, he was glaring at the trees.

"You know, I'm not _that_ uncomfortable, but if you'd rather walk…" Jamie said. Damon frowned. He'd already tried walking. Walking had failed.

"No, no walking. This is good." He answered shortly. Stefan was laughing at him…again. It wasn't fair. Why did this have to happen to him _again_? To Damon's dismay, he was beginning to tear up again. Quickly, he wiped his eyes on his shirt. It didn't escape Stefan's notice. He sent a comforting (well, it was supposed to be comforting, anyway) look Damon's way. Damon smiled. It was weird, being nice to Stefan. After all this time, he still wasn't used to it.

"Hey, how about we camp here for the night?" Becca suggested. The sun was just beginning to set and, apparently, it would take another day to get to town. Damon sighed. Normally, sleeping in a tent with two _girls_ would be fantastic. Now, it was just a tease.

The girls stopped walking and let the boys down. Damon made his way over to a tree and sank down against the trunk. He missed May. Stefan sat down beside him with a longing look on his face. He was probably missing Elena. Well, they'd all be reunited soon enough.

He watched as Becca and Jamie set up the tent. He wasn't looking forward to nighttime. That's when it got _really_ cold. Now that he was human, he was vulnerable to things like weather. It made him feel silly, but there was nothing he could do. Soon, the girls had finished the tent.

"Damon!" Becca called. "Do you want to help me make a fire?" Damon smiled. It was the first genuine smile he'd given to anyone all day. Sometimes, Stefan called him a pyromaniac. He liked to play with fire.

"Yeah!" He answered, running over to her as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. Stefan huffed. Obviously, he was feeling left out.

"It's okay, Stefan. You can help put things in the tent." Damon told his brother. For some reason, he felt protective over the little guy. Though, technically, he was a little guy, too.

Stefan got up and toddled over to Jamie, who had already started the task. Unfortunately, he tripped over a tree root and tumbled into the tent. Damon and the girls laughed. Finally, Stefan poked his head through the door.

"Tarp's good!" He called. Damon was on the ground now, eyes streaming with tears. His sides hurt and he couldn't stop laughing. Finally, everyone calmed down.

_So yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Go ahead and lower it down_

_Lower it down just a little bit_

_Just a little bit_

_More_

Everyone looked at Damon. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" He answered. He knew it was probably May. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to have this conversation. Damon decided he'd have to wing it.

"Damon? How're you doing?" May asked.

"Umm…Stefan and I met some girls. They were hiking."

"Oh? Are you with them?" May asked, incredulous. Damon knew exactly what she was thinking. _"Damon let someone _help_ him?"_

"Yeah. They're gonna help us get to the edge of the forest. Are you coming?"

"I'm on my way. Maybe we should just text, then. That way you won't have to act as much. You were always a terrible actor!" She laughed.

"I was _not_ a terrible actor! I'm a great actor! Right, Stefan?" Stefan shook his head "no". Damon frowned.

"Stefan said 'no', right?"

"Yeah, Stefan said 'no'."

**Stefan POV:**

It was pretty hard to walk with his short legs. Stefan was having a great deal of trouble. He was finally beginning to realize how difficult things must've been for Damon a year ago.

He tried to listen to Damon's conversation, but was distracted by the girls.

"He has a _cell phone_? How old is he? Five?" Becca asked Jamie.

"I don't know. Maybe they're rich?" Jamie replied. _Yes, that's it. We're rich._ Stefan thought sarcastically. He really wished he could just go home. He missed Elena more and more every moment. He should've been home hours ago.

"Hey, Damon, can I borrow your phone when you're done?" He asked. He needed to call Elena. _Now_. Damon already had his breakdown. It was about time for Stefan to have his. His breath was coming out in small gasps. His eyes welled with tears. He didn't want to cry. He remembered his father's words. The same words that were drilled into both of their brains. _Salvatore men don't cry._ Well, that was wrong. Salvatore men _did_ cry. And, he was no longer a man. He was a boy. That thought only made the tears spill over onto his face.

Now he was actually crying. Tears ran down his cheeks. Damon had stopped mid-sentence to stare at him. He heard him talking to May.

"Uh, May? I have to go. Stefan's freakin' out. I think he needs to call Elena." Stefan heard Damon say. It made him feel guilty. His tears had cut Damon's conversation short. Of course, he was overreacting. Damon was fine. He was Damon. His brother came over and handed him the phone, telling him to call Elena. Stefan hurriedly punched in her cell number.

The phone rang a few times and then, "Hello?" It was Elena!

"Elena? It's me!" He was in hysterics.

"Stefan? Are you okay?" Elena asked, panicking a little.

"No. No, I'm not. I'm tired and I want to go home."

"I know, Stefan. We're on the way. Give us, like, a day. Then, we'll get you and May can fix this."

"Really?" Stefan sniffled. It was almost the same conversation Damon had had with May.

"Yeah, really. It'll be okay. Just hang in there." Elena said encouragingly.

"Okay," Stefan was smiling a little bit by now. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Count on it. I can't wait to see you all cute and small!" Elena giggled. Stefan frowned.

"Don't get too excited. I could still get eaten by a bear."

"Yeah, that'll happen… Okay, I need to go if I'm going to be able to get there tomorrow. I love you!"

"I love you, too." He hung up.

Unlike Damon's conversation with May, this conversation left Stefan feeling much better.

"Okay, now?" Damon asked him. Stefan nodded. It was weird. Damon was still being nice to him. It was actually too easy to get used to. Not that he minded. No, he'd missed his brother over the years. The hatred they'd both had for the other had been too much work. Actually, they had agreed to be nicer to each other out of laziness. It was a little bit sad.

Night had fallen. The phone calls had taken longer than anyone had thought. Jamie and Becca had started a fire and set up the tent. Everything looked cozy and very summer camp-y. Stefan smiled. He'd always wanted to go camping. Just then, Jamie held up a loaf of bread.

"Who's hungry?" She asked. Both Stefan and Damon went running. Food!

**AN: Okay, so it wasn't the greatest chapter in the world, but I just got back. Reviews help a whole lot! Chapter 5 is coming soon!**


	5. Who the Heck Are You?

**AN: I was a bit slow this time, too. But, school isn't being fair. I think my teachers have banded together to prevent me from writing. But, it doesn't matter because I finally finished this chapter! XD So, here it is!**

**Damon POV:**

Dinner was an interesting affair. The girls made sandwiches. Damon thought he could eat a horse. So, he asked for two sandwiches. As it turned out, he couldn't eat a horse. In fact, he couldn't even finish a sandwich! So, the other one and a half went to waste. Damon could care less. He was full and sleepy. He turned to look at his brother. Stefan hadn't eaten much either. His sandwich, along with Damon's second, was currently being munched on by a squirrel. Damon felt a little better about wasting food.

"You look tired. Time for bed!" Jamie announced, looking at the boys. Damon blinked at her. There was no way he was going to bed. It was barely dark! He folded his arms over his chest and glared.

Stefan, on the other hand, had let himself be carried into the tent. Damon frowned. Why did his brother have to be such a pushover? Well, _he_ wasn't going down without a fight.

"Oh, come on. Your brother went…" Jamie told him. As if he didn't know that! He had seen everything that she had. Just because he was small didn't mean he was unobservant.

"I know that. I'm not my brother, though. I don't have to do everything that he does!" was Damon's clever retort. Jamie just gave him a look and picked him up.

"Hey! Put me down! I don't wanna go to bed!" Damon whined. Then, he stopped. He was _not_ going to go through this again, the whining and the little kid stuff. No, he was an adult. As long as he kept his head, he would be okay. He stopped squirming and let himself be carried into the tent. Stefan was already lying in a large sleeping bag.

"Looks like we're all going to have to share," Becca told Jamie. "I figure the boys can take one and we'll share the other. Sound like a plan?"

"Yep, sounds good to me. We'll just have to squeeze." Jamie replied. Damon frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was sleep in a tight space with _Stefan._ It was simply unnecessary. He looked at his younger brother. Well, it wasn't like they were grown up. It wouldn't be _too _weird because they were both tied down (Stefan had Elena and Damon had May). It would probably be quite awkward, all the same. Stefan seemed to have fallen asleep. The walking had, apparently, exhausted him. Damon was tired, too. He felt his eyelids drooping. Soon, he was asleep.

*****

When Damon opened his eyes, it was very dark. He was wrapped in…something. What was going on? Where was he? He looked around. He appeared to be in a small room. Wait, the tent! He was in a tent. He was in a tent in a sleeping bag with Stefan. Damon shuddered. This was not how he had wanted to spend his last week as a bachelor. He only hoped that May found him soon.

He wondered why he had woken. He'd been peacefully dreaming, a rarity. Now, he wasn't. But, Damon had no idea what had caused him to wake up.

"Damon!" Stefan hissed. "Are you up?" Damon felt a tug on his sleeve. Well, that answered that question. It had been Stefan.

"What, Stefan? I was _sleeping_, something most people do at night." He replied, annoyed.

"But, Damon, it's an emergency!"

"What's an emergency? What kind of emergency could you possibly have? You're, like, two!" They were quietly whispering. The last thing Damon wanted was for the girls to wake up.

"I…I have to…I have to _go_." Stefan told him.

"What? Go where?" Damon asked. His tired brain was sluggish.

"You know, _go_."

"Go _where_, Stefan!" Damon was getting angry. He didn't need to go anywhere. It was late at night. Damon wanted to go back to sleep. He heard Stefan sigh.

"I have to pee, Damon." Oh, so that was it. Damon had finally gotten the "_go_" thing.

"So, go pee."

"Where?"

"In the woods. Where else?" Damon answered. Was it really that hard?

"Outside? Alone?" Stefan whimpered. Damon could see where this conversation was going. He was going to end up accompanying Stefan outside. It wasn't fair! He was tired.

"Yes, outside and alone. It's really not that hard. You were a vampire until…how long has it been?"

"About two days. When are we going to go home? And, when do I get to pee?" Stefan asked. Damon frowned. Well, now was as good a time as any.

"Come on. Let's go pee, little brother." Damon sighed, unzipped the sleeping bag, and crawled out. He unzipped the door of the tent, grabbing his shoes before leaving. Stefan followed. It was ridiculous that Damon had to go with him. He should've been able to do it himself.

"Okay, Stefan, just go a little ways into the woods, pee, and come back." He told his brother. Stefan just looked at him before making his way into the woods.

Damon stood in the clearing. It was either very late at night, or very early in the morning. There was a bit of moonlight shining through the trees. It fell in patches in the clearing. One patch illuminated the backpack, laying against the tent. He sat down. Damon was tired and bored. Suddenly, he felt very tired. Damon lay his head on the ground and let the darkness swallow him.

_Damon's Dream:_

_ Damon was running. He didn't know where he was running or why. He just knew that he had to run. He looked behind him and saw pine trees, thousands of them. But, they were stationary. They were running after him! He started to run faster. He was passing all kinds of things; people he knew, places he'd been. Suddenly, he wasn't running anymore. He was falling._

_ Damon looked down. He was falling through a giant hole. It reminded him of Alice in Wonderland. It was a strange feeling. The hole seemed endless. He fell past more people and things. He grew hotter and hotter the farther he fell. Every part of him hurt. Damon was in agony. He no longer knew anything other than blinding pain. He was a nameless creature who knew nothing but the fire burning through his veins. There was something at the back of his mind. Something was trying to get to him. Something was trying to get him out._

"Damon! Damon, you idiot, get up! Hey!" Stefan. The name burned a searing hole in Damon's brain. His eyes snapped open. He felt a strange breeze and saw Stefan bending over him.

"Geez! You were thrashing around. Damon, you're big again! Why aren't I?" Stefan asked. Damon blinked. He was big again? Smiling, he sat up. He _was_ much taller than he had been a little bit ago. He looked down. Sure enough, he was tall-_er_. He'd never really been tall, but as long as he was more than two feet...

"I don't know, Stefan. Maybe it's because I've already been through this? Did you pee?" He asked distractedly, making his way over to the backpack. Damon grabbed his clothes from the top and quickly changed. When they had gotten smaller, their rings had no longer fit. Damon had stowed them in the front pocket of his backpack. He took his out and slipped it onto his finger.

"Hey, are you guys outside?" Becca called from the tent. Damon stopped. What was he going to do about the girls? They knew Damon as a small boy, not a (very handsome) twenty-something year old guy. He quickly decided he'd just compel them.

Damon entered the tent. The two girls screamed. Well, he figured a strange man coming into their tent would be a little unsettling, so he let it go. He made his way over to their sleeping bag.

"Who the _heck _are you?!" Becca yelled.

"Where are the boys? Did you take them? Are you related?" Jamie asked. Damon just smiled at them. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just did what he always did in awkward situations. He compelled them.

"You never saw anyone. You didn't see me. It's just a normal camping trip." He looked into both of their eyes, using his Powers. The girls nodded and repeated after him. When he was satisfied, Damon left the tent. He grabbed the backpack and his brother and walked into the trees. Finally, they could go home.

**Sorry, it's not the greatest chapter. But, the next one'll be better. I was getting bored of the random girls... They weren't as much fun as I thought they'd be, so I had to get rid of them. Hope you liked it anyway! REVIEW!**


	6. Applesauce

**AN: Here's chapter 6! It's a little fluffy...but enjoy it anyway!**

**Stefan POV:**

It wasn't fair! Why did Damon get to be big again? Stefan sulked in his brother's arms. According to Damon, they were only about fifteen minutes from the nearest town. Damon wanted to have lunch somewhere and call May. Stefan's stomach was growling ferociously at him, so he had agreed. Unfortunately, he still had fifteen minutes of the obnoxious growling to deal with. Stefan wasn't sure he'd make it. He was awfully tired, but he didn't want to fall asleep on Damon. Not only would it be awkward when he woke up (he remembered when Damon had fallen asleep on _him_), but it would leave his brother with no one to talk to. Unlike Stefan, Damon was a very social guy. Back in the day, when they were human, Damon had always had plenty of friends. He was one of those guys that went to the opera with a woman every other night. Back then, the opera had been the equivalent of the movie theater. Stefan preferred the movies.

"Hey, are you okay?" Damon asked. Stefan sighed. This was just what he needed. Once they'd decided to get over the past and be brothers again, Damon had been itching to prove that he cared. Stefan could feel it. He didn't blame his brother, though, after all that had happened. After all that Damon had done, he wanted to let Stefan know that he knew he had been wrong. Stefan understood this and he let Damon do his thing. But this, this was a chance for Damon to truly "baby" him; in both the figurative and literal sense of the word.

"Yeah, Damon, I'm fine. Just hungry." Stefan told him. He looked around. He could see the forest thinning. There was sunlight up ahead. Apparently, they'd been much closer to town than Damon had thought. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Stefan was eager for some food.

"Well, the town's right up there. There's probably a café around here somewhere. Then, you can eat and I can call May."

*****

About fifteen minutes later, the boys were situated in small café. Stefan, to keep up appearances, had been forced to sit in a high chair. He hadn't been happy, but he knew he was powerless against it. So, he'd let Damon position him in the high chair. Damon had even gone so far as to order for him.

Now, Damon was on his cell phone, talking animatedly with May. Stefan could only hear one side of the conversation, being human, but it was enough. He knew that his brother was happy to be normal again. Stefan just wished he could be normal, too.

Then, the food arrived. Stefan almost laughed aloud. Damon had ordered him a very small meal. Of course, he _was_ a kid, but it was still ironic. Stefan had to be the oldest "kid" ever. So, maybe he looked two, but he was really well over five hundred. He kept this to himself, though.

"Here you go, sweetie." The waitress said, placing Stefan's food on the little table. He looked eagerly, but found nothing exciting. Most of what was on the plate was mushy. Stefan had never really enjoyed mushy foods. He preferred drinks and crunchy things like potato chips. That, apparently, was not going to happen today. On his plate, there was applesauce. That was it, just applesauce. Stefan looked at the plate, dismayed.

"Well, aren't you going to eat it?" Damon asked, watching him. Stefan just stared at his brother. Did he really expect him to eat only applesauce?

"This can't be enough!" He told Damon. He was starving and applesauce wasn't that filling, was it?

"I read online that little kids get full fast. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach, Stef." Stefan gave him a confused look. "Blackberry." Damon held it up as if it explained everything. Well, it _did_ explain how he'd gotten on the internet.

"Well, that's not true." Stefan replied defensively. He knew exactly how much he could eat. Just to prove Damon wrong, he began to eat the applesauce. He took the first bite. Well, it wasn't that bad. It was mushy, but it was sweet. Stefan decided he liked it. He began to eat more, focusing solely on the food in front of him.

"Stefan, you're making a mess…" Damon was looking at him oddly. Stefan looked down. He _had_ made a mess. His shirt had little flecks of applesauce all over it and he was sure his mouth was no cleaner. He looked apologetically at Damon. His brother smiled before taking out a napkin. Suddenly, Damon was tying a napkin around Stefan's neck. He struggled, but Damon was stronger. He sighed; Damon had created a bib.

"There, now you _won't_ make a mess." Damon told him, looking smug. Stefan huffed. He was thirsty and he had no drink. When he told Damon this, the waitress was called back over. Damon ordered him some milk. Stefan wanted a Coke, not milk. But, when he voiced his opinion, it was ignored.

A short time later, the waitress came back. Only this time, she was carrying the bill and a strange cup. It was normal…until one looked at the top. The top had a strange raised part with small holes in it. Suddenly, Stefan realized what it was. The waitress had brought him a sippy cup! He frowned and looked at Damon. His older brother was trying to hold back a laugh and failing miserably.

"Well, you said you were thirsty. Drink up, brother." Damon laughed. Stefan shook his head. No, he wasn't going to drink out of that. Not now, not ever.

"No, not from that!"

"It's a little thing called karma. Now, drink or go thirsty. Those are your choices." Damon looked at him. Stefan looked back down at his applesauce. He was beginning to fill up. But, he kept eating. He had to prove Damon wrong. His mouth was dry and Damon kept pushing the cup closer to him. It was getting harder and harder to resist. Stefan was now very thirsty, but he couldn't drink out of a _sippy cup_. It was one step too far. But, eventually Stefan couldn't take it anymore. He caved.

"Alright, Damon, you win." He sighed, picking up the cup. Damon just smirked. He'd known all along, Stefan reasoned. Well, it wasn't that hard to guess. Did applesauce make him thirsty?

He looked at his brother once more before putting the strange cup to his lips. When he tilted it back, nothing happened. He tried again. Damon was chuckling now and Stefan's face was turning red. It wasn't fair! He tried sucking on the cup. Suddenly, his mouth was filled with milk. It wasn't bad, per say, but it wasn't great. However, it beat the alternative (going thirsty). He drank his fill and put the cup down.

"Happy?" He asked Damon.

"Exceptionally. We're meeting May and Elena in the square in the middle of the village in ten minutes." Damon told him. Stefan frowned. The square? The square was pretty far away. It was about fifteen minutes on foot. How were they supposed to get there in ten?

"Ten minutes?" He asked, confused.

"Yep." Damon replied. He picked up another napkin and began to clean Stefan's face. Then, he lifted him out of the chair.

"You might want to hold on." Damon said seriously. Stefan looked at him for a moment before he realized what that meant.

"We're not _running_ there, are we?" Damon only nodded. "You're _insane_! I'll fall and die!" His brother only smiled at him.

"You really think I'd let you fall and die?" He asked. Stefan thought for a minute.

"No." He answered, resignedly.

"That's what I thought." And, with that, they were moving faster than Stefan had ever moved in his life.

**AN: I have no idea if the opera was that popular. I just made that up, so don't be too angry with me! **

**As always, review! It raises my self esteem. XD**


	7. Strange Meeting

**AN: Sorry about the wait! I won't bore you with my excuses 'cause they're boring anyway. But, without further ado, here's chapter 7!**

**Damon POV:**

Damon could hear his brother squeal as he started to run. It was an odd feeling, holding a toddler in his arms. Damon knew that May wanted kids, but he hadn't been too sure why. Well, dealing with this little problem had sort of cleared his mind. Damon decided that having kids wouldn't be too bad. They were cute, small, and somewhat entertaining. He hadn't had any _really_ bad experiences with Stefan yet. He supposed he'd use his brother as a sort of trial child. He laughed. Oh, how ironic was it that, only a year ago, it would have been Damon in Stefan's arms.

"Stefan, relax. You can open your eyes. I won't drop you." Damon told his brother reassuringly. He wanted Stefan to open his eyes. Damon knew that Stefan had never run this fast, but he also knew why. Stefan didn't believe in some of the things Damon believed in. He simply _wouldn't_ kill humans. He wouldn't even feed from them. The brothers often argued over this, but it usually ended up becoming a mess. There would be some sort of fist fight and something would break. Then, Elena would rush in to break it up.

"Wow! Slow down, Damon! Why are we going so fast?" Stefan had cracked his eyes open. Damon assumed he was a bit nervous about the scenery that was flashing by at blinding speeds. But, they needed to go that fast to meet up with Elena and May. Damon could barely contain his excitement at seeing his fiancée again. He knew Stefan didn't share his excitement. Stefan, surely, was nervous about Elena's reaction to…this. Damon knew the feeling. He hadn't wanted Jackie to see him like that. She was his closest and oldest friend. Though, he hadn't called her in a couple of weeks. She had been invited to the wedding, so he figured he'd see her there.

"Stefan, we have to go this fast because you took so damn long to eat your applesauce." Damon chuckled. Stefan glared. Looking up, Damon realized they were only seconds away from the square. He slowed down so that he wouldn't miss it.

"Are we there yet?" Stefan had closed his eyes again. Damon laughed. He remembered pulling the "Are we there yet?" with Stefan. He wondered why he'd been so keen to forget the days he'd been small. Sure, it hadn't been pleasant, per se. But, it hadn't been terrible either. There _were_ some good memories.

"Yes, Stefan. We're here. And, by the looks of it, so are the girls." Damon smiled as they reached the square. He came to a complete stop, looking around for May and Elena. He'd seen the car, but the women were nowhere to be seen. Then, he spotted the top of a familiar blond head from behind the car. It seems the girls were messing around in the trunk. Damon made his way over to them, smirking. Women, always having to get _something_ from the trunk.

"Hello, ladies." He said. He felt Stefan freeze and hide his face in Damon's shoulder. He patted his brother's back and continued to watch the girls. He knew they'd heard him, but they hadn't turned from the trunk yet.

"Damon!" May exclaimed, finally turning around. "We finally found a use for your car seat!" Damon had to snicker a little at this. He'd been forced into the blasted car seat. Apparently, now it was Stefan's turn. Elena still hadn't turned around, though. Stefan was actually shaking a bit. Damon was unsure of what to do. Stefan seemed truly nervous.

"Hey, it's _Elena_. It'll be okay." He whispered into his brother's ear. He felt Stefan relax slightly. But, as soon as he did, Elena turned around. Her gaze immediately locked on Stefan, whose face was still buried in Damon's shoulder. She stared for a moment with a sympathetic face. Damon could tell that she knew that Stefan was embarrassed. But, he also knew that Elena loved Stefan. She wouldn't care if he was temporarily a toddler.

"Stefan," She coaxed. "It's okay." Stefan lifted his head slightly and looked at Elena. Then, he looked up at Damon, as if asking what to do. Damon shrugged at his brother, suddenly wanting his arms to be free. He desperately needed to kiss May. He hadn't kissed his fiancée in a few days.

"Stefan, I still love you. Come here, sweetie." Elena held out her arms. Damon knew what she wanted and placed Stefan in them. Then, he turned to May, giving the odd couple a moment to themselves.

"May." He breathed, kissing her neck. He felt May respond. So, he began to move up towards her face. He trailed kisses across her jawline until he reached her mouth. Then, he kissed her lips passionately. God, he'd missed her. He'd missed _this_. Damon loved May. He decided that, if she wanted children, he'd give her children. Although, they would have to adopt because...well, Damon was a vampire. Vampires don't have kids.

Suddenly, a piercing howl broke into their moment. Damon whirled, immediately recognizing it as coming from his brother. He saw Elena rubbing circles into his back, Stefan sobbing into her chest. It was a weird moment, but he knew that Stefan was okay. He was just being the sensitive one. That was his job. Damon, however, was the opposite. There were only two people who could get him to express emotion. May and Elena.

**Stefan POV (His and Elena's "moment"):**

It was humiliating, being held like a baby in his own wife's arms. Stefan was shaking like a leaf. He wanted to be anywhere but here. In fact, he'd rather be back in the forest with nothing to eat! No, probably not the last one. Hunger was not a feeling he particularly enjoyed. But, he didn't want to be here, in Elena's arms. It wasn't that he didn't love her because he loved her a great deal. It was more that he didn't want her to see him like this, weak and small.

"Stefan, shh." She cooed. Stefan hadn't realized, but he'd begun to cry.

"It's okay," Elena told him, rubbing his back. "I don't mind. I think you're adorable."

Stefan sniffled and looked up at her. Elena was smiling at him, attempting to make him feel better. It was just like it had been when he'd been… slightly taller. Except for the fact that she wasn't kissing him deeply. She did, however, kiss his head and his cheek. Stefan was suddenly feeling much better. He turned around and froze. Damon and May were looking at him. He wasn't quite sure how long they'd been watching, but he assumed it was long enough. He knew his brother had seen him cry.

Sighing, he settled into Elena's arms. This wasn't how he'd wanted his brother's bachelor party to go. Of course, it probably mattered more to Damon because he'd have to spend his last single days taking care of his brother. It hurt the most to know that he was ruining his brother's good time. Well, there was also the fact that his brother knew he was weak. Of course, that wasn't exactly unusual, but Stefan didn't like to cry in front of anyone, least of all Damon.

As everyone watched, he began to fidget. He couldn't find a comfortable spot in Elena's arms. Elena shifted with him and he finally settled again. Soon, Damon and May had resumed their previous activities (kissing passionately in public). Stefan made a face and turned away. But, since when had he found kissing to be gross? Had he not just wished Elena would kiss him the right way? What was happening to him? Stefan wondered if this was how it had been for Damon.

**Damon POV:**

Damon stopped kissing May to look at Elena. She looked a bit worried, but mostly…excited? Why would she be excited that her husband was suddenly two? Damon knew the answer. Elena had always wanted to be a mother, but she would never have the chance. She saw this as an opportunity. So, Damon would let her have her fun at Stefan's expense. At least it wasn't at _his_ expense.

"So, where to next?" He asked, looking from May to Elena and back again. The girls smiled at each other. Damon knew they were about to make some sort of pronouncement that neither he nor Stefan would enjoy.

"Now, we go shopping!" Elena answered, excited. Damon just stared at her. Was she out of her mind? What more did she need? Stefan bought Elena everything from the most expensive stores. Suddenly, it hit him, they needed to shop for _Stefan_. Damon laughed. Maybe it would be more fun than he'd originally thought.

"There was a mall not far from here. We saw it when we were driving up." May added. Damon smiled at her.

"Okay, the mall it is. But, I'm driving." He told them. Now, he looked at his brother. This was going to be the tricky part. Damon hadn't liked the car seat and he knew that Stefan wouldn't enjoy it either. But, he knew that he was bigger and stronger than his brother and, like with the high chair, Stefan would be forced to comply. He took his brother from Elena's arms as the girls put the car seat into the car.

"Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's your choice, Stefan." He looked into his brother's big eyes. They were red-rimmed from crying, but it was fading away. Now, Stefan just looked horrified. Damon took a peek into his head and found: _I know you're listening and I'm _not_ sitting in _that_._ Damon only laughed.

"I guess it's the hard way, then." He went over to the car where the girls were just finishing with the car seat. Smirking at Stefan, he lowered his brother into the seat. With his vampire speed, he managed to buckle his brother before he could escape. Then, Stefan did something most un-Stefan-like. He spit at Damon. Damon scowled. It had landed on his hand. Cringing, he looked over at May. She was laughing, so he decided to take revenge. He wiped the spit on Stefan and shut the door, chortling to himself.

As he climbed into the driver's seat, Elena gave him a dirty look. He looked back at his brother. Stefan had a frown on his face and, when he noticed Damon looking, he stuck his tongue out at him. This only caused Damon to laugh harder. Why was Stefan's irritation so entertaining?

Damon started the engine and looked at the girls. Finally, they seemed to realize he was going to leave and got into the car. May sat in the passenger's seat and Elena climbed into the back with Stefan. After what seemed like an eternity, they gave Damon the "okay" to leave. He smiled. He was on the road again, his favorite place to be. And, they were going shopping. Damon actually liked shopping, though he wondered if shopping for his brother would be that much fun. He decided it was probably going to suck, so he prepared himself. But, disregarding his unease, Damon was feeling pretty good.

**AN: Thanks so much for all of the reviews. Keep going! If you have anything you want to see, let me know. I'll find a way to add it into the story :)**


	8. Five More Minutes?

**AN: As usual, sorry about the wait. But, I have my longest chapter ever up for you today. Thanks to DarkAngel942 for the idea. Enjoy it!**

**Damon POV:**

They pulled into the parking lot at the mall. Soon, the girls were out of the car, leaving Damon and Stefan. May and Elena had, evidently, decided to get a head start. That, or they'd just forgotten about the brothers in their excitement. Damon was betting on the second one. Still, this left him to get Stefan out of the car. He turned to his brother, glaring.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'm taking you _out_ of the stupid thing. You spit on me again and you'll stay there all day. Kapish?" Stefan nodded at him and Damon smiled.

"Good." He got out of the car and opened the back door. It took a minute, but he finally figured out how to unbuckle his brother. Damon lifted Stefan and shut the door, but Stefan had other plans. He began to squirm. It got to the point where Damon almost dropped him. So, he was forced to set his squirming little brother on the ground.

"I wanna walk." Stefan told him seriously. Damon couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine, just be careful. If you get run over by a car, Elena'll kill me." Stefan frowned and started forward. They had to cross a small section of road to get from the parking garage to the mall. Stefan took one look at the cars zooming by and grabbed Damon's hand, startling him. He looked down at his younger brother. It was a strange feeling, but Damon realized that if his brother hadn't grabbed his hand, he'd probably get run over. So, he walked Stefan across the small stretch of road, grimacing all the while.

Finally, they reached the other side and Stefan let go, racing into the mall. Damon sighed and followed. What was going on with his brother?

**Stefan POV:**

Stefan was filled with energy. Sure, the cars had been a little scary, but he'd had Damon to protect him. As long as his brother was there, everything was fine. Right now, though, he wanted to find Elena. He stopped by an escalator and looked around for her golden blond hair. He didn't see much, but he wasn't very tall, so it was to be expected. Then, Damon caught up to him.

"Jeez, Stefan, slow down! Where are you going, anyway?" Damon asked, clearly annoyed. Stefan looked up at him apologetically.

"Where'd Elena go?" He frowned. He couldn't see her. Had she abandoned him?

"Elena's shopping and-" But Damon's answer was cut off when his phone began to ring. Damon answered it.

"Where'd you two run off to?" Damon asked. Stefan could only assume that it was May or Elena. There were a few "yes"s and "no"s. Suddenly, there was a much louder one.

"No way! I'm not some kind of babysitter!" Damon yelled into the phone. Stefan looked at the floor. He knew it. He was a burden. His eyes filled with tears and he wiped them away quickly. But, when he did, more came. Soon, he couldn't hold them in anymore. Stefan began to cry silently, hoping and praying that Damon wouldn't notice. He could hear his brother, still arguing on the phone.

"Ugh, fine. Yeah, yeah. I'll go. Where is it?" He heard. Stefan was trying hard to get himself under control before Damon got off the phone. It proved to be harder than he'd originally thought. Soon, he was sobbing, no longer silent.

"Crap! I have to go. Yes, that's Stefan. Love you too." Damon hung up and turned on Stefan, annoyed again. Stefan could only cry harder. It was _his_ fault that Damon was mad.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Damon asked him, clearly attempting to be gentle. Stefan sniffled and turned away. Damon only walked around and picked him up.

"Come on, Stefan. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"Sorry." Stefan choked out. He really was. He hadn't meant to ruin Damon's day. Now, he was stuck being a babysitter for his _baby_ brother. Stefan cringed at his own thoughts.

"Sorry for what? What did you do?" Damon seemed confused. Stefan didn't understand why he wasn't getting it.

"Sorry for being a burden." Stefan couldn't look his brother in the face.

"Seriously, Stefan? _That's _what you're crying about? It was _my_ fault. And, you're not a burden. Can't you go one day without feeling guilty about something? I think you've taken sensitive to a whole new level." His brother laughed and Stefan sniffled. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Stefan. Just calm down."

Stefan did calm down. His brother's voice was somehow soothing. He felt himself relax in Damon's arms. And then they were walking. Stefan didn't know where they were headed, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he was with Damon. As long as he stayed with his brother, he'd be fine.

**Damon POV:**

Damon was still a bit agitated, but he was trying not to show it so he wouldn't upset Stefan further. His brother was truly the biggest wimp he'd ever met. But, Stefan was _his_ wimp. As he carried him through the crowded mall, he wondered how he'd gotten himself into this particular situation. If he'd just gotten Stefan out of the car a little faster… Maybe, he would be shopping with the girls. Frankly, that was better than the punishment he'd received. He was supposed to take Stefan to some play area. _Oh God, drive a stake through my heart._ Damon truly dreaded reaching the damned place. He'd end up sitting doing nothing and Stefan would be bored because he would be smarter than all of the other children. He figured he may be able to get out of it pretty quickly.

Damon recalled May's directions. _"It's next to Victoria Secret. Look it up on the map thing! What are you, helpless?"_ He'd been tempted to reply with a "yes", but that wouldn't look very good. So, he'd just listened to her. Now, he was looking at the map and wondering why on Earth a children's play area would be next to _Victoria Secret_ of all places. He shifted Stefan and then had an idea.

"Hey, Stefan, let's play a game. Whoever finds Victoria Secret first wins!" He told his brother. Damon watched as Stefan immediately focused his attention on the map. He smiled. Let his brother do the work. That was how it always was. And then, Stefan was pointing excitedly at a block on the map.

"I found it! I win!" He giggled. Damon chuckled. His brother's baby laugh was infectious. As much as he hated to admit it, Stefan was actually…_cute_. Damon decided that he sounded like a woman, thinking about how cute Stefan was. So, he derailed that particular train of thought and began to walk in the right direction. Stefan looked a little confused.

"Damon, why are we going to Victoria Secret? That's a girly store…" Damon laughed again.

"We're not going to Victoria Secret. We're going _next to_ Victoria Secret."

"What's there?"

"You'll see, Stefan."

"Is it a surprise?" Damon had to laugh at this one.

"You could say so. I must warn you, though. Don't get too excited."

They continued to walk until the play area was in sight. Stefan froze in Damon's arms. He smirked. Well, he'd warned his brother. But, then Stefan unfroze and had a strange look on his face. It was like he _wanted_ to go to the little play area, but he was too embarrassed to actually do it.

"You know, you can go if you want to. I don't care. I'll just sit on this bench over here…" Damon told Stefan. He was being a good brother for once, encouraging Stefan. He watched his brother run happily towards the playground-like area. It was strange, but this was almost like a second chance. He hadn't gotten it right the first time, so why not now?

_Flashback_

_ Damon was playing in the garden. Well, he was playing with the dirt in the garden. He was a boy, so he didn't care much for flowers. He had decided earlier that day to make the biggest mud pie he'd ever created. Now, he was gathering dirt in a small bucket so he could take it to the nearby creek and turn it into mud. For some reason, mud pies were quite amusing. Besides, after you made it, you got to destroy it. That was Damon's favorite part._

_ As he gathered his dirt, Stefan came out of the house. He was only four years old and Damon still hated him. The brother's didn't talk much except for the exchanging of insults. But, today, Stefan toddled over to Damon. He sighed. He had his whole day planned out. He had no time to deal with his younger brother. As Stefan got closer, Damon saw a flicker of something in the boy's eyes. Suddenly, he was yelling._

_ "Damon! Father told you not to play in the dirt anymore. You're never going to be a gentleman if you can't even keep yourself clean!" Stefan mimicked their father. He was always doing that, trying to make himself feel important._

_ "I'm going to tell on you!" Stefan yelled at him. Damon's face turned bright red. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't he have one day in peace. He didn't feel like dealing with Stefan or his father today, so he grabbed his brother. The smaller boy started kicking and screaming, but no one was around to hear them. Damon quickly made his way to the linen closet and deposited Stefan, closing and locking the door behind him. It was a little funny, listening to him pound on the door. Whistling, Damon made his way back outside to make his mud pies._

That Evening

_ Damon walked out of his bedroom. He was clean and ready for dinner. His father hadn't even noticed he'd been gone all day. Damon was feeling quite pleased with himself. But, as he entered the dining room, he realized Stefan wasn't there. His brother was always there before he was. Damon wondered where the little brat had gotten off to. Maybe St. Stefan would get in trouble today, instead of himself. But, it was simply too much to hope for, so Damon put it out of his mind._

_ Suddenly, his father burst into the room, carrying a sobbing Stefan. Damon immediately understood what had happened. Stefan had finally been rescued from the linen closet. Unfortunately, the whole exercise had been pointless because Father had found out about everything anyway. Well, at least it had been entertaining._

_ "Damon Lucio Salvatore what is _wrong_ with you? How could you do such a thing to your own brother? You disgust me!" His father spat at him and he cringed. He'd never been _this_ angry before. Sure, he'd hit Damon, but never spat at him. He felt as if he'd reached a whole new level of low. His father would never accept him. Even as he thought this, Giuseppe was grabbing his son and dragging him, by the hair, to his bedroom. He threw Damon to the ground._

_ "Now, sit in there and think about what you've done! And, no dinner tonight."_

_End Flashback_

Damon sighed. That had been a bad day for both brothers. As he sat on the bench, reminiscing, a man made his way over and took a seat next to him. Damon looked up as the guy sat down. He looked nice enough, average height, sandy brown hair, and a bit of a beard. Damon decided the man was harmless and went back to his thoughts. He was interrupted, though, when the man made an attempt at conversation.

"So, are you a father, too?" The man asked. Damon almost choked. Father? No! As spontaneous as his decision to give May children had been, he hadn't really thought it through. And, when he did, it didn't seem as great as he'd originally thought. Nine months of an irritable May, topped off by May in considerable amounts of pain. Damon wasn't sure he could handle it. Fatherhood freaked him out a little bit.

"Oh, no. Definitely not. Little brother." Damon replied shortly. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation.

"Oh, I see. My son is the one on the slide." Damon nodded politely. He didn't really care about the man's son. But, he felt obliged to look. As he looked up, however, he spotted a completely different scene than the one he'd been expecting. He had expected to see a bunch of kids playing together. What he saw was a bunch of kids in a tight circle, surrounding his brother. Apparently, a game had begun. They were pushing Stefan around inside of the circle. Damon recognized this. He'd been tormented with a similar game when he was a child. Immediately, Damon stood up, ready for a fight.

"Excuse me." He told the man politely. He made his way over to the circle of tormentors. Stefan was sobbing as he was shoved from boy to boy. None of them were girls, Damon noticed. Well, girls were more docile than boys. They were too busy playing with their dolls to harass a poor little kid.

"Is there a problem?" He asked menacingly. Immediately, a boy looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh no, sir. We're just playing." He said. Damon sneered. The boy was lying, of course. The others were still pushing, though. He decided not to start a fight, though. Fighting with a little kid wouldn't end well.

"That's not what it looks like. If I were you, I'd let my little brother alone before I kick your ass." He smiled at the boy. Immediately, the child ran off. Now, there was still the matter of the rest of them. Damon was getting pretty agitated. They were _still_ pushing his brother, not ready to end their stupid game.

"You know, I remember a game like this when I was little. The kids who played it were all snot-nosed little brats. Your friend was smart. He got out of here while he could. I suggest you all follow his example." When the boys didn't move, Damon growled and bared his fangs. They scattered, some crying, the rest running back to their parents. Damon laughed and turned to his brother. Stefan didn't seem to think it was as funny as Damon did. He didn't look too happy.

"Hey, are you okay, Stefan?" Damon kneeled down to look Stefan in the face. Obviously, his brother was a little embarrassed that Damon had had to fight his battle. Damon didn't mind. He liked fighting battles.

"My knee hurts." Stefan whimpered. Damon looked at his knee and, sure enough, there was a small scratch. It was bleeding a little bit. Damon tried to ignore the blood and tend to Stefan, but it was difficult. It smelled so good and it was so close to him. He frowned. He needed to get Stefan a band-aid. Or, at least something to cover up the scratch. Little kids always thought that band-aids made everything better.

Damon heard footsteps and whirled. But, he had nothing to worry about. It was only the man from the bench. He had a little boy, about Stefan's age, in tow. Damon smiled. Maybe it had been a good thing that the man had decided to join him on the lonely bench.

"Would you like a band-aid? I always keep some with me. Marco falls down a lot." The man smiled at him. "I'm Leonardo, by the way. I didn't introduce myself before." Damon was a little shocked. The man barely knew him and he was willing to help? Well, he would take it. And, both of them had very Italian names. Leonardo and Marco? _Well_, Damon supposed, _we _are_ in Italy_.

"Er, thanks." Damon wasn't very good at thanking people, but he did his best. The man had helped him more than he would ever know. "I'm Damon and this is my brother, Stefan." He introduced himself and his brother. Immediately, Stefan said hello to the man. Damon smirked. He was even polite as a little kid. The other boy, Marco, began to inch toward Stefan. Damon hid a laugh with a cough. He assumed that Marco thought Stefan was his own age and would like to play. Well, Stefan _had _shown some odd tendencies. Maybe he would play with the other boy.

"Hi. Do you wanna play on the slide? It's my favorite." The little boy smiled at Stefan. Damon saw Stefan looking at him hopefully. He chuckled.

"Go for it. I'll be here." He watched Stefan and Marco run off before returning to the bench. He decided that, this time, he would keep a closer eye on his brother. He noticed Leonardo returning to the bench, too. Damon sighed. Sure, he was thankful that the man had had a band-aid, but he really didn't want to spend too much time with him.

"So, your little brother and my son seem to be enjoying each other's company." Leonardo said. After that, the two men fell into an awkwardly polite conversation. Damon glanced up periodically to make sure Stefan was alright. Quickly, he grew bored. He began to hope that May and Elena would finish soon.

_A Bit Later_

"-birthday party. It's so hard being a father." Leo was saying (he had given Damon permission to call him "Leo"). Damon was barely paying attention, but perked up pretty quickly when his phone began to ring.

"Excuse me." He told the man, picking up his phone and moving away from the bench.

"Hello, May." Damon smiled.

"Hey, we finished with the shopping. Can you meet us at the Gap?" She replied.

"I thought you said you finished the shopping…" Damon was growing uneasy.

"Well, we finished _our_ shopping. Now, we need to do _Stefan's_ shopping. What, did you think we were going to buy things for him without knowing his size?"

"I don't know. You're women. You're good at that sort of thing."

"I'm not really sure how to take that… So, I'm going to ignore it." She laughed. "Please come up here. Elena's already picked out a few things, but we need Stefan to try them on."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. You know, you just saved me from the most boring conversation I've ever had."

"I'm so glad. I love you and I'll see you in a few minutes." She hung up. Damon grinned and told Leo goodbye. He went over to the slide to find Stefan.

Stefan was not on the slide. After a bit of a panic attack, Damon found him on a jungle gym a few feet away. He watched the two boys for a few moments, fascinated. They were playing a very strange game, yelling things to each other and toddling around on their short little legs. Damon wondered how they'd even gotten onto the jungle gym. He supposed it didn't matter. Damon realized that they were playing Cops and Robbers. He smiled for about a minute before remembering that they had to go. It was weirdly entertaining, watching his brother play.

"Stefan, we've got to go. The girls need you in the Gap."

"Five more minutes?" Stefan asked. Damon shook his head.

"Nope. I told May we were on our way. You can play later." Damon didn't like to make his brother upset, but he didn't like making May upset either. He lifted Stefan from the jungle gym and walked out of the play area. He laughed a little when he noticed Stefan waving at Marco. He really was something else.

**AN: I completely made up Damon's middle name. I thought it was ironic because Lucio means light in Italian. XD In the next chapter, things are going to get a bit more intense. I finally know where I'm going with this story :) REVIEW!**


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